


Darling all I want to do is be with you tonight

by angelofcreativity



Series: Keep your head up, don't take your eyes off the road [3]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020)
Genre: Also Carrie and Nick very briefly get the braincell, And then it goes back to Tia's, F/M, Fluff, it's fine, it's playing with Alex's drums, just fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:49:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29939904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelofcreativity/pseuds/angelofcreativity
Summary: The requested oneshot - Carrie and Nick during the raid, featuring an explanation for her limping and why her wig was pushed to the side.
Relationships: Nick/Carrie Wilson
Series: Keep your head up, don't take your eyes off the road [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2197299
Comments: 21
Kudos: 7





	Darling all I want to do is be with you tonight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NorthernLights025](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorthernLights025/gifts).



> For NorthernLights025 who wanted to know if our babies recognized each other. I'm so sorry for running off on a tangent on your last comment - I hope this redeems me and is in character. Enjoy, and please let me know what you think 💜
> 
> Fic title from Whole Lives by Jake Scott, which was a big inspiration during this scene and I definitely recommend listening to it while you read it.

Carrie was not having a good day.

Sure, the movie marathon had been fun. And she’d been worried about Reggie, when he showed up with tear tracks down his face and breathing just a little too fast – like his breathing was too fast for his body to register. But then Julie had been her characteristic sunshine child self and taken Reggie under her wing with food (and those fries were crazy addictive, and this was her week off from watching what she ate like a hawk) and they’d done movies, and Reggie might have crawled into Julie’s lap like the actual puppy he was, but by that point Nick had taken Carrie’s hand again and she was focused on not blushing while she argued with her brother.

But no, Carrie just HAD to be a good friend and bring them to this club.

Admittedly, this could partially be her fault (she’s willing to take 12% of the blame) for going off on her own. But in her defence, she thought she saw Fedora Boy again, and she had a thing for fedoras. Yes, thank you Flynn, Carrie realized this made her very stereotypical. But ever since they were kids, Nick would take Ryan’s fedoras and use them when the girls dragged him into dress up time. Fedoras and Nick and childhood love turned real love were just so entwined in her head that she couldn’t even begin to untangle them.

And what does she get for it? Crouching in a bathroom with Fedora Boy, trying to avoid a police raid.

“I can’t believe this,” she muttered, rubbing at her ankle. It was throbbing from where she’d hit it on their way into their hiding spot, but she currently had bigger problems. But as soon as she got home, she knew she’d have to wrap it, otherwise Dirty Candi performances were going to be unbearable.

Fedora Boy snorted. “Yeah, of all the nights. I wasn’t even meant to come with my friends, but when Luke speaks…”

Carrie jerked. Under the slightly better lighting of the bathroom, he did seem more familiar. And his voice…

“Nick?”

His mouth fell open as he took off the hat. “Care?”

Carrie snorted. “Of course. Of course this is how the night happens. What’s next, aerial dancers appearing from nowhere?”

Nick glanced at the ceiling, apparently taking her seriously. “No, none of that. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, but Luke isn’t going to be,” she growled, sitting carefully and extending her leg. “I can’t believe him. He was meant to cover for us!”

Nick settled by her side. “Technically, you only asked him to watch when you guys went out.”

“That’s a technicality! That isn’t in the spirit of What Are the Odds!”

Nick laughed. “This is how we know you definitely didn’t play with Alex all the years. Our entire method is about technicalities.”

Carrie sighed and tilted her head back. “So why did you come?”

“Huh?”

“You said you didn’t want to come, but Luke convinced you.”

Nick blushed and looked at his jacket edge, fidgeting with it absently. “Um… okay do you want the long answer or the short one?”

“Short, considering we’re meant to be hiding from policemen.”

Nick seemed to inhale, from what Carrie could feel where his side was pressed against hers, and she tried not to focus on it. “So, um, I knew you were coming to help Julie and… I guess if you guys didn’t get whatever you needed to, I wanted to be here to help?”

Carrie felt a small smile grace her features. “So you really are a gentleman, Nick. And my faith in your chivalry died when we were eight and you stole my crayon. Imagine that.”

“It was the only blue crayon left and you knew I needed it,” he said reflexively, before releasing his jacket. “Did Julie find it?”

Carrie felt a small spike of jealousy, but shoved it down. She and Julie weren’t rivals anymore. They were friends. Comparing herself to Julie punished them both for an imaginary competition where no one really won.

“Yeah, she got back what she lost.”

Nick smiled. “I’m glad. That’s one less thing for us to worry over.”

“Nick, we’re in the middle of a police raid. We already have enough to worry about,” Carrie said drily. Nick laughed, just as Carrie began to shiver – her adrenaline spike was beginning to leave her system, and she felt drained. 

Usually these drains came after performances – nothing matched the high of a Dirty Candi performance – but this was somehow worse. Probably, she reflected, because she didn’t have a jacket and a cup of hot chocolate, both given by an enthusiastic Ray and Rosa Molina. 

A wave of longing briefly swept through Carrie – she missed Aunt Rosa, with a bone deep sadness. She knew her loss wasn’t the same as Julie’s. Julie had shut down after her mom’s death. Rosa had been Julie’s whole world. But Carrie and Flynn lost someone too – Flynn her closest aunt and confidant, Carrie the closest mother figure she had. 

“Huh?” she said inelegantly, realising that Nick had asked her something while she was distracted.

“I said do you want my jacket?” he asked, already settling it around her shoulders. “You’re shivering.”

“Thanks, Nick.” His hands were clumsy, but gentle. Yes, her wig was shifted slightly to the side, but she was also instantly enveloped in warmth, and the slightly spicy smell of Nick’s deodorant. When he was settling back, she took a moment to sniff the collar. 

“Do you think the raid is done?” he asked.

“It’s only been like five minutes. I think we’ll be here a while. Did the boys make it out okay?”

“I think so.” Nick didn’t look overly worried. “Luke was dancing with some girl, and Reggie felt sick so he went to the car.” He rubbed absently at the paint on his face, reminding her of her own – she hadn’t had time to match her friend’s creations, instead just going with a single streak of violet across her eyes. “You look nice, by the way. I don’t see you in purple much.”

She tried not to blush. “Thanks. I like your hat.”

He touched the brim self-consciously. “I’m going to have to find a white one soon. Some girl stole my one last time we came here.”

Another spike of jealousy, but not one she tried to contain. How dare other girls dance with him?

_Wait, no Carrie. Nick is his own person, and he can dance with whoever he wants._

“I could help you?” she offered, tilting until her head came to a rest on his shoulder. “Tomorrow at the beach, I mean. There’s a vintage store near the pier.”

“I’d like that.”

They were quiet for a few moments, before he shifted.

“Hey, Care?”

“Yeah?”

“I wanted to ask you something.”

She braced, thinking it would be an enquiry into Julie’s relationship status. Then again, if Nick wasn’t observant enough to realize that Luke was entirely lost on Julie already, maybe she should rethink this whole liking him thing.

“This afternoon, during the movie… you held my hand.”

That… was not the direction Carrie had expected. 

It had been wonderful – he’d inched his hand towards hers, peeking at her out the corner of his eye, until his fingers gently slid between hers. She’d been the one to interlace them properly, the guitar callouses on her left hand catching slightly on the smooth skin of his right. Nick’s hands were an experience – long and slender, powerful but graceful. She’d leaned slightly into his side and he’d let go, inspiring a moment of absolute fear that she’d messed up, she’d misread him –

– only for his left hand to take hers, his right arm encircling her shoulders.

Their callouses had caught slightly, and she’d completely ignored the rest of the movie, instead cataloguing every hand squeeze and possible meaning, admiring the contrast in their skin tones – Nick’s skin was a shade darker than hers, tanned – and thinking that she might just burst from the butterflies in her stomach.

And then Alex had to go and use his turn to ruin things. She’d been close to taking off her shoe and aiming it at his bowl of popcorn.

“Is that… not okay?” Carrie whispered, prepared for rejection. 

“What? No, of course it’s okay!” He shifted so she couldn’t lean against him, but only so he could take her hands, both fitting into one of his as the other gently pushed strands of artificial hair out of her face. “I… I used to think maybe if you came home, I’d be brave enough to try to do this, and then you were even more mind-blowingly amazing than I thought you’d be, and oh no I’m babbling, feel free to stop me.”

She smiled. “I don’t know, I kind of like this babbling.”

Nick laughed quietly. “Yeah, I guess I walked into that.” His thumb landed on her cheekbone and suddenly, Carrie realized how close they were. 

“I guess,” he continued, as though this was normal and there weren’t galaxies in his eyes and a universe in the space between their faces, “that I was intimidated. And then my dads told me how they were idiots, how they got in their own way even though they fell in love in high school. How they both tried to date other people and wasted time. And, Carrie, I don’t want to waste time.”

Carrie’s breath caught.

“I know you’re going back to New York,” he murmured, his face somehow approaching hers. “And… I know it would be difficult. But if you feel this too – if I’m not alone in this…”

“Nick,” Carrie breathed. “Please stop talking and kiss me.”

It was a little awkward, a little clumsy, and definitely not where Carrie thought they would do this (yes, she imagined this, sue her). But somehow, even though they were in an illegal club and there were people being arrested, it was perfect. 

“I have been wanting to do that since breakfast on Saturday,” he murmured.

She smiled against his mouth. “I win. Three months ago when you posted the video of your princess dance party.”

He groaned, letting his head drop to her shoulder. “I knew I should have left that off Instagram.”

Carrie was giggling when the police officers found them. She reflected as she was led out that she should probably be more terrified right now. If her dad had to bail her from jail, she’d never be allowed to go back to school.

But then Nick was giving up his shot at going out on his own just to try to help her get out, and then they were outside and a car was playing Despacito and she knew she’d have to talk to Julie and Flynn about it, because of all the signals you choose, you take that? And then she was pressing his jacket into his hands, pressing a kiss to his mouth softly before encouraging him to find the boys, saying they had time the next day to talk about this. And then Julie needed help, and Carrie wasn’t about to be the person who takes away from her friend just to gush. 

But that night, after Nick sat next to her with his hand in hers, and after he blew her a kiss in goodnight, after Julie and Flynn and Willie all crawled into the bed far too large for Carrie to sleep in alone and she was dealing with Flynn’s soft snoring and Julie’s hair in her mouth and Willie’s mumbling in his sleep…

Carrie pressed her hand to her mouth and gave herself three beats to remember it.

This… this was going to be something big. She could feel it.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! If anyone wants to see any other scenes explored in oneshots, please let me know. 
> 
> Have a good whatever time of day it is when you read this, stay safe, and take to heart Bobby's wise words - police raids aren't as fun as they seem.


End file.
